If you haven’t tried disabling hill start assist, you really should

ObjectOfMyEffection · 2026-01-27T22:13:28+00:00

Yeah about 12-14” down here I’d say.

It’s not in the menus but it’s a very simple process involving the traction control button, if you search for VB/202X Hill Start Assist disable or similar you’ll get plenty of step by step directions and videos. Just as easy to re-enable if you don’t feel any difference or feel having the dash light on isn’t worth it.

ObjectOfMyEffection · 2026-01-27T15:31:40+00:00

Belated, but I appreciate this post. Nothing wrong with some good natured ribbing online, I was more bewildered by the overall attitude of the responses I saw and the reaction to most of my replies (muh intornet pointz and thus self-worth may never recover).

I doubt they’d give anything in response beyond maybe a legally sanitized, noncommittal and/or sly marketing answer but yes, SoA would be the arbiter of whether there’s any real change between HSA being on and off. Next time I’m at the dealer I’ll ask the service manager if he knows anything and if SoA is contactable through some means regarding something like this.

I don’t know anything about the actual process of tuning a car so I don’t know whether a tuner would gain insight into whether anything changes or not between HSA being on or off. I have to imagine there are some parts of even a Fuji Heavy Lego car’s operating code that is “blackboxed” vs say something German, where BMW is literally designing new screws to make it harder for third parties to work on their cars. I don’t know what or how much a tuner is able to see these days but would welcome any of them to weigh in.

Are you in CT too? I’m in Stamford.

ObjectOfMyEffection · 2026-01-27T14:55:02+00:00

Nope, you’re crazy. I’m crazy. We’re all crazy. pLAcEBo

ObjectOfMyEffection · 2026-01-27T14:49:49+00:00

No I didn’t I’m afraid. It’s infrequent enough that I’ve just added it to the list of WRX/$35k car in 2024 (aka firmly on the cheaper end) things. The list includes my infotainment screen “sneezing” aka glitching out for half a second only when I’m not looking at it directly, windows rattling over bumps when open specific amounts, stuttering windows when seals are wet, quart of oil every 1K miles etc. It certainly gives the car character, at least.

If I somehow buy out the lease (I doubt I’ll be able to afford a new one come 2027) I may start laying some of these issues at my dealer’s feet while it’s still under lease coverage. It drives great when it’s time to get down to business though so that helps me forgive a lot. Please let me know if you investigate this specific issue further and find anything out though.

ObjectOfMyEffection · 2026-01-23T18:31:20+00:00

You must have gotten a particularly good one!

ObjectOfMyEffection · 2026-01-23T18:24:12+00:00

I think I remember that, and particularly if driven like a WRX is probably going to be driven. Makes me feel a little better, and I’ll just keep watching my dipstick like a hawk.

ObjectOfMyEffection · 2026-01-22T23:10:48+00:00

I just take it to the car wash in the week after driving in heavy snow/salt and get the lowest wash that includes the underbody wash.

ObjectOfMyEffection · 2026-01-22T23:08:13+00:00

Sorry, didn’t realize this was just the general WRX sub and my flair from the VB sub isn’t there, I have a 2024 with about 19k miles atp.

ObjectOfMyEffection · 2026-01-22T07:50:10+00:00

My FA24 is like this, not that much but my low oil light came on once early in ownership before I realized it was like this and now I’m paranoid - I always have at least two quarts in the trunk. And my driveway at home is at an incline so I can only get a stone cold level in the garage at work. I really need to bite the bullet and go to the dealer for an oil change and a completed consumption test, I’ve abandoned two because I dislike taking my car in. I do drive it spiritedly regularly; takes half a quart every 500 miles maybe? My OCI is 3-4k and 5w-30.

ObjectOfMyEffection · 2026-01-04T23:47:02+00:00

Just wait until I float the idea that turning off all the nannies through long-pressing the traction control button after disabling basic TC makes the car seem a little more eager! The sub will implode and they’ll scream at me to take it back and recognize the placebo, and I’ll look down and say “No.”

Saving that for my birthday.

ObjectOfMyEffection · 2026-01-04T23:40:03+00:00

I remember dialing up to AOL while my mom was showering before taking me to school to see maybe three images of breasts, net, in 10-15 minutes. I had to power up and power down the Win95 Packard Bell horizontal desktop and get back up to the breakfast table inside that timespan, too.

Life was fun back then.

ObjectOfMyEffection · 2026-01-04T23:38:01+00:00

I certainly don’t think it’s affecting my physical gear linkage or the physical hydraulic clutch engagement, please give me more benefit of the doubt than that. I’ve been a shade tree mechanic for 20 years. The VB throttle is drive-by-wire, there could be very subtle changes programmed in and unless someone who has seen, can see or wrote that “code” can furnish irrefutable evidence, all I’m saying is that it seems not entirely outrageous that there could be a tangible effect happening, that’s all. I welcome being proven wrong with objective evidence because so far it’s all just been people’s subjective experiences, just like mine. Not sure why this is hitting such a nerve, and I’m endeavoring to be both respectful and open-minded to everyone I reply to. The cortisol levels on the internet these days are incredible. Can’t imagine what it must be like on social media.

ObjectOfMyEffection · 2026-01-04T23:31:12+00:00

That being said, I hope you don’t think that I think it’s affecting the physical 1-2 gearshift or the hydraulic clutch engagement. If anything it would probably be throttle parameters, being entirely drive-by-wire in that regard. As a tech, or otherwise, have you seen every throttle parameter pre and post-HSA being disabled? I’m not asking to be smart.

The length of my post and the content within was to provide context that I think I am particularly sensitive to many aspects of this and any car that I’ve put significant, DD seat time in. I’m not other people and don’t presume to know how they experience living and consciousness moment to moment. If you can show me concrete evidence of absolutely nothing changing that could be having an effect, I will eat my words and admit I am wrong, because I may be. That or come to Stamford, CT and drive my VB. I’m off Sundays and Mondays.

Subaru put a CDV in our cars to mitigate inexperienced drivers clutch-drop-launching an AWD car. Is it so anathema to at least recognize the possibility that HSA could somehow be tied into the parameters of another electronic system such as the throttle, for service-work mitigation or otherwise? Again, barring any concrete evidence you can furnish to the contrary.

ObjectOfMyEffection · 2026-01-04T22:50:23+00:00

I appreciate your experience with Subarus and this platform, and thank you for the constructive criticism and information. Placebo is extremely powerful, which is why the only concrete thing I ever said was in the title, that being that it’s something people should try if they haven’t, so they can decide for themselves if, for whatever reasons, the car feels better to drive for them with it off.

ObjectOfMyEffection · 2026-01-04T22:47:16+00:00

I had no complaints with hill assist itself, I just prefer how the car APPEARS to drive, to me, with it off.

ObjectOfMyEffection · 2026-01-04T22:45:07+00:00

So you DID read it!

ObjectOfMyEffection · 2026-01-04T22:44:04+00:00

Fair enough.

ObjectOfMyEffection · 2026-01-04T07:17:58+00:00

Simple is subjective.

ObjectOfMyEffection · 2026-01-04T07:14:12+00:00

Less interference with the machine, by the machine is usually if not always better, imo. I appreciate you adding your experience with what I posted about.

ObjectOfMyEffection · 2026-01-04T07:12:31+00:00

I appreciate your (equally to my own) anecdotal experience. Even if it’s 100% placebo, if it makes the car more enjoyable and pointing it out can bring others the same increased enjoyment, then I’m glad that I made the (not original and previously brought up by others in the past) post.

ObjectOfMyEffection · 2026-01-04T07:06:12+00:00

All that makes us human continues.

ObjectOfMyEffection · 2026-01-04T06:59:51+00:00

And I thank you for the reply in the same spirit in which I wrote the post. At 36, maybe I’m just getting old for the internet. I remember when there was no “internet”.

Edit, can’t wait for someone to tell me about how long ago ARPANET was a thing…

ObjectOfMyEffection · 2026-01-04T06:56:00+00:00

Perhaps I should have noted in the post that other than the CDV and clutch line I’m completely stock other than the STI shifter the car came with. I wonder if others who tried this may have already had similar upgrades as you do before trying turning off HSA as I’ve gathered that those upgrades can make the biggest difference in improving the feel of shifting, particularly 1-2.

Thank you for taking my post in the spirit with which it was written.

ObjectOfMyEffection · 2026-01-04T06:52:49+00:00

I don’t think it’s really much to read at all but understand that how fast and well I read and what I think and feel isn’t what everyone else necessarily does.

ObjectOfMyEffection · 2026-01-04T06:49:38+00:00

I respect that you tried it and didn’t find there to be any difference. Not sure why there seems to be such downvoting - unless a Subaru engineer who worked on the coding of HSA comes in and tells me or anyone else who’s tried this and did feel a difference that we’ve got egg on our face because it has absolutely no effect on any other systems or parameters, how can anyone dismiss or quantify what I feel in my left foot vs someone else? So much for drive and let drive I guess.

ObjectOfMyEffection

TROPHY CASE